


Impulsive Acts

by Genie60



Series: Poldark Series 2- Dribs and Drabs [12]
Category: Poldark (TV 2015), Poldark - All Media Types
Genre: Angry Sex, Betrayal, F/M, Impulse Control, Love, Marriage, s2 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-01-27
Packaged: 2018-09-20 06:43:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9479849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genie60/pseuds/Genie60
Summary: Alternative version of S2Ep8--What if Demelza was able to stop Ross from going to Trenwith.  And fair warning that this one gets a little "intense" to say the least.....This is the fault of @mymusingsfromtheheart on Tumblr...she asked





	

**Author's Note:**

> Totally against canon but I was asked this "what if" and so here we are.
> 
> Dialogue and scenario are a compilation of various episodes as well as book and scripts. So credit to Winston and Debbie for the seeds and for letting me play again with these characters.

“I do know Ross! I know you! I know how you react to things!  How your reckless streak surpasses all logic!  Do you forget the night of Jim Carter’s trial?” 

Demelza stood in the doorway, shouting and blocking his way, waiting for an acknowledgement to her last statement. And by the way Ross stopped in his tracks, she was about to get it. He lowered the hand that held the offensive letter and stepped back from her. She was shaking because she hadn’t gone back at him so intensely since she was with child and fought him about the smuggling venture.

“Why do you mention that now?” he questioned, his tone unsure and his voice shaky.

“Because that night your reckless streak was running tenfold,” she said calmer than before.

Ross was surprised by her turning the conversation to the past but if she wanted to go there then he could play her game too. After the day that he had, he wasn’t in the mood for female manipulations.  Especially from his wife.

“If I recall, my dear, it was you that came to me that night with the pretense of being unable to get out of that damn dress.”  His voice was clipped and harsh but Demelza was unfazed. Her goal was to get him to see how impulsive acts have long term effects.  Even if they are positive ones. 

“Very true Ross.  However, you were the first to let impulsiveness come into play when you kissed me.  Do you remember that?  You were infuriated with what happened at the trial but instead used the excuse that I dare touch your mother’s dress and then ordered me out of it.  Except that when you came face to face with me, your manner changed.  And something else took over.”

Demelza was challenging him with the reminder of another time where he _reacted_ instead of acted. Granted she made the final move after he took a step back, avoiding a rash act that, if he’d exploited right then and there could have turned out differently. While that night did change their relationship it was because each of them took a moment to weigh the consequences.  He thought it better to leave her alone and she just the opposite. She knew it wasn’t exactly the same but she needed to show him that taking a step back can avoid making a mistake. 

Ross remembered quite clearly everything about their first encounter and had to admit she was right. It was his feeling of failing Jim that drove him to her.  The anger and fury that had built up, unleashed itself in a kiss that opened floodgates of emotions he was not prepared to deal with.  He tried pushing her away but the stubborn street urchin wouldn’t have it.  He could see her now, in the doorway of his bedroom, now their bedroom, blue dress shimmering in the moonlight and rustling against her skin as she walked towards him. She was determined to not let him get away with imparting himself on her with that kind of deed and not following through.  He knew, scared as she was that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.  The memory of what transpired throughout that night and what it led to, took the edge off his stance.  He looked at his wife now, eyes ablaze with the same kind of fervor but this time to keep him using a reckless decision in the wrong way.

“Demelza, that was different.”

“How was it different?  You were angry and upset.  You hated the world and all who condemned Jim. And you took that anger out on me.”

“Yes but….” He couldn’t finish the statement that was on his lips.

“But what Ross?  Was it because I was just a common scullery maid that you were fine with my coming to you and letting you take me to bed?”  Her voice began to crack as she fought tears that had arisen from her own frustration.

“No!” He came to her in one stride across the floor and grabbed her by her arms, just as he did that night six years ago. He held her close enough so that their breaths mingled finding the urge to kiss her as he once had.  “Don’t you ever let me hear you talk about yourself that way? Is that clear?”

Demelza, seeing her husband’s passion rising was not going to be so shy.  Pulling herself out of his grip, she took his face in his hands and kissed him.  It was hard and insistent and left no question as to who was in charge at that moment.

Ross at first tried to pull away but the scent of her hair and the feel of her lips broke his resolve and he clasped her to him again.  He moaned as she continued to move her mouth over his, letting her tongue reach out to his forcing his mouth open to allow her entrance. The need for air was their only reason to part and as they did so, the familiar touch of forehead to forehead calmed them down.

“Demelza, what was that?”  Ross was confused as his wife had never taken the initiative in any kind of physical encounter during their marriage.  Ignoring this question she posed another.

“Did you mean what you said?”  She replied, giving her lips as swipe with her thumb and then doing the same to his.

 “Said?  About what?” Ross looked at her, completely perplexed at which statement they were talking about now.

“Not being a scullery maid?”

“Yes.  From that night on, when we shared not only a bed, but ourselves, you became part of my soul. And I have never thought of you as anything else since then. You’re a part of me.”  His confession was from the heart and she knew it.

“Then why do I feel you are casting me aside because you’re afraid of losing Elizabeth if she has finally, for once, made a choice in her life?”

“Is that what you think?  Is that where you truly believe my feelings lie?”

“What else am I supposed to think Ross?  For months you have put her first leaving Jeremy and me to fend for ourselves. Well she’s found someone other than you to take care of her. For Judas sake, let him! Let George be her salvation! And come back to me!”

Once again, impulse arose and she kissed him, although this time there was no need for aggression as the electricity they felt just seconds ago still crackled between them.  Ross dropped the provoking letter and let it flutter the floor, so he could wrap his arms around Demelza.  He pushed her hair out of the way and laid a trail of kisses down her neck.  In response she wove her fingers through his curls and pulled him back up so she could look into his eyes.  They crinkled in a smile, his scar barely visible now as she ran a finger down it.  Calm for the first time in hours, he needed to know what her intentions were.

“Demelza?  What are you doing and what has gotten into you?  What has kissing me got to do with Elizabeth marrying Warleggan?”

“Don’t you see Ross?  I know that if you went over to her tonight, as upset as you are about the mine, losing Ted and everything else aside from her marrying George, the only way you would get her to change her mind or even listen would be to do what you did with me those years ago. You’d exert that power over her. But more importantly, you would finally have an excuse to share the one thing with Elizabeth you never got the chance to before.  And frankly, I won’t allow you do that.”

Ross was stunned by the tone of Demelza’s voice and her determination that he not go to Elizabeth tonight to try and stop her marriage.  He hated to admit it, but she was right. Again. She knew him better than he knew himself and with the rage coursing through him as it was, he was sure to lose all sensibility and end up doing something beyond foolish that would serve no purpose.  In his heart he knew that he couldn’t stop Elizabeth.

“Ross, if you went to her tonight, and tried to stop her as I think you would, what would it accomplish?  What could she do? What would you do?”

He stared at her and then turned around to look at the fire while he pondered her question.  What would it do except hurt people?  He watched the flames dance and closed his eyes to absorb the heat when he heard her voice low and soft.

“Would you leave me?” 

Ross swung around to face his wife again.  To be honest he hadn’t thought about that until now. But apparently she had, which is why she fought so hard for to stop him from going to Trenwith.  What surprised him was that he didn’t answer her right away.  

Demelza’s breath caught in her throat.  His hesitation spoke volumes. 

“So you have thought about it?  You have thought of leaving me?” she said, her voice now revealing what she’d been fearful of for months. 

“Demelza, I love you. You must know that,” Ross said, a plea in his voice.

“But not enough to stay with me?”  There was a bitter tinge to her voice as Demelza lifted her hand to move her hair back to cover her neck and wipe the corner of her eyes.

“No!  I didn’t say that. Stop putting thoughts and words into my mouth!”  Ross’s anger returned but Demelza didn’t care.  She was angry too.

“Ross I have not lived with you for ten years, been married to you for six and gone through all the things life has handed us just to have you throw it away in an attempt to change your first love’s mind.”

“Demelza!  Stop!”

She remained on point even though the fury that was running through her could match his.  That most likely irked him more than what she was saying.

“Nor will I stand by while you make a fool of me as you chase after her, again, when you know you have nothing to offer her.  She needs to be taken care of as you reminded me the other day.  And she’s found that person.  Let George have her. Perhaps they are right for each other and will be happy.” 

She stopped speaking and caught her breath.  Her heart was pounding in her chest, feeling as though it would burst.  Ross’s eyes narrowed as he listened to her and she knew she hit a nerve. Moving to sit down on the settle near the fire, she picked up a pillow so she would have something to do with her hands that were now trembling.  The adrenaline that raced through her was slowing down as she waited for Ross to respond.

“How dare you presume to know what I feel about Elizabeth?  My devotion for her started long before I met you and has ….”

“Continued for the entire time of our marriage,” she completed the sentence for him. Ross was shocked at her matter of fact demeanor. 

“No Demelza that is not the case.” Ross spoke but he didn’t sound sure of what he was saying and Demelza could see that.

“Isn’t it Ross?  And since Francis died, it’s been Elizabeth first in your mind.  Not me.  But I’m not content to be second best.”  Demelza felt her confidence grow as she spoke.  “Do you know what Francis told me the day he died?”

Ross’s attention was piqued by her statement.

“What do you mean?  Why didn’t you ever tell me you and Francis spoke?”

“I didn’t think you’d care. And what he and I discussed was not exactly kind to certain people.” 

Demelza felt slightly superior to her husband at that point because now, she was the one with the secret and the admiration of another Poldark. Ross on the other hand did not appreciate her vague innuendos and wanted to know what she was all about.

“Demelza! Enough of these games! What did Francis say?”  He sat down next to her and kept his eyes on her face.

“He told me he wasn’t surprised that you loved me.  That I did a disservice by not thinking well enough of myself and that I shouldn’t be taking on the Poldark family values.”

Ross was surprised by what she related to him but not by Francis’s observations. He was right. And as her husband, Ross should have told her this himself.  In the meantime, Demelza paused to gather her thoughts and continued. Looking sideways at Ross she went on.

“I told him that wasn’t sure that you still loved me,” she said softly but did not divert her gaze from Ross.

“Demelza, why would you think that?” 

He stopped and contemplated her statement and it hit him like a rock fall. He began to understand why Demelza was so intent on his not going to Trenwith.  Demelza saw he was actually mulling over what she’d said and so went on.

“Because Elizabeth is lovely and well bred and your first love; she was perfect in your eyes.  I could never compete with that.” She steeled herself as she expected Ross to agree with her.

“You little fool!” he said.  “Have I ever asked you to compete with Elizabeth?”

“You never had to Ross. Every day that I was with you I felt the need to be better than her or at least to try and be as perfect as her.”

Ross’s eyes softened at her confession.

“Oh love you are so wrong,” he said as he moved to get near her but she pulled away just a bit to keep distance between them. She needed to finish what she was saying before touching him again. With the sensations still teeming under her skin she knew that one sign and she would be in his arms and any further discussion about the state of their marriage would be over.

“Perhaps.  But at that time I thought….” She didn’t finish that thought but wanted to tell Ross what Francis had said, even though it might upset Ross.  “Francis saw my despair and said that I was wrong about Elizabeth being perfect for she was far from it.”  Taking another breath and looking at Ross she went on.  “And he said that I should stop thinking that you did me a favor by marrying me.”

Ross considered what she said and was about to respond when she spoke again.

“Francis was also going to come back and tell you all this himself but then….” She trailed off, the memory of his body being pulled from the mine come to her mind and she shivered. Ross automatically reached around her to gather her close to his chest and rubbed her shoulders to warm her, even thought the room was not cold. 

“Demelza, I don’t know what to say.  Francis was so right. About it all.”

“Even his comments about Elizabeth?”  She turned her head to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, to an extent, even about Elizabeth.  I used to think she was perfect and the ideal.  But I know that it was unrealistic to think that about anyone.”

Demelza doubted his answer, thinking he was saying it because it was something she wanted to hear.  Ross saw her face and knowing her well enough, he knew that was exactly what was running through her head.

“And no I’m not just saying that.”

“Then why does it matter who Elizabeth marries Ross? And why should you be the one to convince her otherwise?”

He was caught now and didn’t know how to answer except truthfully.

“I don’t know. Perhaps it’s what I think Francis would want. Or maybe it’s because I can’t stand the thought of George in my family’s home and ….

“And having Elizabeth in a way you never did?”  She finished the thought that she knew he was denying.

His eyes widened at her inference and from the clear set of them, he knew that she knew he couldn’t deny she was partially right.

“Yes,” he said almost under his breath. 

He was ashamed to admit that some part of him, the most basic part wanted to know what having an ideal was like.  For years he had built Elizabeth up in his head as some model of perfection that couldn’t be touched.  When he had found out that Francis had been whoring around instead of being with his wife he was sure the man was an idiot for why would someone stray when they had a beautiful wife at home.  Since he married Demelza, the thought of being with anyone but her was beyond distasteful and could never be an option.  Except when Elizabeth crept into his psyche and lately with her innuendos and what ifs, that was becoming a more frequent occurrence. Something he was not proud of.  Demelza sat still as she waited for her husband to explain even though she already had an indication of what he might say.

“Demelza, what I have felt for Elizabeth is something that is totally separate from my love for you. For the longest time she was, in my mind, an idealized love; something untouchable.  Whereas you are…”

“Common, ordinary and dull,” she stated simply. 

Ross looked at his wife, the fire lighting her from behind, her hair a mass of ginger colored waves framing her alabaster face and he felt even more like a cad than before, if that was possible. And yet, somehow the speaking of hidden truths seems to be freeing. He could see by her face that she was willing to accept what he said, for now. But he was sure that there would be some fallout once all was said and out in the open.  And he was ready to deal with that because he loved her.  That he knew for certain. He loved her with every fiber of his being, from the depths of his soul and no one, not even an idealized Elizabeth, would change that.  What he needed to do now was to tamper this feeling he had that he needed to go see his old love and force her to change her mind. Yet somehow he got the impression that Demelza was going to make that decision for him.

He moved closer to her as if he wanted to embrace her but she abruptly stood up and walked around the room, coming to stand by the cabinet in which she hid a lifetime ago.  Her back was straight as she took out the port and poured herself a glass before turning to face him.  Ross could see a resolve in her that he hadn’t seen before.  Usually when any discussion of Elizabeth came up, she acquiesced to his way of thinking and left the subject alone.  It seemed tonight there was something else running through her mind and so he waited for her to state it.

“Ross, do you think she actually means to marry George?” she posed as she calmly took a sip of the burgundy liquid. 

Ross looked at her quizzically.  It never occurred to him that Elizabeth would be devious and use marrying George as a ruse for something else.  Demelza could see from the look in his eyes that the possibility of his perfect Elizabeth being deceptive was alien to him.

“Why would she lie to me like that?  Knowing how the thought of marrying George would upset me?”  He truly did not understand what Demelza was getting at.

“That’s exactly it, Ross!” she said to him. “She knew exactly that you would run over there to talk to her and it would give her the perfect opportunity to get what she’s wanted all along.  You.” 

Demelza walked back to the settle and sat down beside him again.  Ross was the one mulling over her words.  Could Elizabeth be using this towards another agenda?  Demelza saw that her husband was tormented by this fact and decided to keep the line of conversation going. It was to be a night of truths.

“Did I tell you that I saw Elizabeth the day of the hearing?  She was with her mother and Geoffrey Charles.”  Ross faced her as she spoke.  “Oh and George.  In fact she was in George’s carriage.  It was the same day that Horace Treneglos told me of your selling the Wheal Leisure shares.”

At that Ross’s face revealed his guilt again at putting Francis’s family before his own.  Demelza said nothing to that issue as they had already moved passed it.  It was the fact that her telling him weeks ago that George was courting Elizabeth and his dismissing that as folly that he was replaying.  She had hinted then that this might be coming and he ignored her, as was his way when Elizabeth was the forefront.

“She wanted to thank me,” Demelza said.  Ross raised an eyebrow at that and waited for her to continue.

“Thank you? For what?”  He truly could not comprehend what Elizabeth would be thanking Demelza for.

“For lending you to her so you could fulfill some husbandly duties.  Well, most of them anyway,” she said.

Ross knew what she meant and why she believed that Elizabeth’s letter about her marriage was just another way to get him in her house….and bed.  He looked at his wife and saw complete confidence in what she was saying to him.   He was amazed that she could pick up on the subtleties of human nature more than he could.  He had once said he couldn’t see what was right in front of him and this proved it.

“Demelza, you must know that I have no choice but to go and speak to Elizabeth about this.  It has to be stopped. She’s making a mistake!”  His voice rose in desperation to get her to understand.

“Why Ross? Why does it have to be stopped? And how do you know it’s a mistake?”  Demelza was calm in her questioning and that was disconcerting to him. 

“Because she can’t marry my worst enemy. I’d feel like she was betraying me,” he admitted.

“And you’re going over there to give her what she wants, which is yourself, is not betraying me?”

Ross had no answer for that because she could be right. In the state he was in earlier, immediately after reading the letter, he most likely would have done exactly that.  Damn this woman for knowing him better than he knew himself.  He was humbled by her and could not justify the actions he originally intended on taking.

“You’re right Demelza. Once again, you see in me what I don’t see in myself and that is a flawed man whose quick temper and reckless decisions result in ways I can’t even imagine. Yet you can.  How is it that you are so intuitive?”  A small smile crept across his face as he spoke to her which mollified her.

“Perhaps I am a bit of a gypsy.  My father once said that to me when I was younger and he thought I was tempting sin.  Maybe he was right.” 

Her commentary on herself was enlightening to Ross as this was a side of his wife he hadn’t seen before. While they had fought and disagreed about his schemes and plots, they had never dissected each other or their marriage.  With this shadow of Elizabeth hanging over them it was clear that the time for reflection and revelation was now. He had to admit he was thoroughly intrigued and excited by this Demelza. 

“So what do you propose I do, Demelza?” His voice lowered to that the timbre of it shook her soul.  Sitting this close to him, she could feel the heat of his body emanating through his clothes and she found herself slowly reacting to his presence. 

“You know that I can’t just let this thing be ignored.  I need to speak to Elizabeth,” he said.

His tone came across as if he were asking her guidance and permission on how to handle this.  Demelza heard that and was pleased that she was able to calm him down to where he would listen.  And before the night was over she was going to make sure he knew exactly where his priorities needed to stay and hopefully he’d be able to see the Elizabeth factor was not so important after all.

She moved towards him, an idea formulating in her head that he most likely would not approve of but that she was going to insist on.  When she was flush against his body, Demelza took his hands in hers and started to rub them in the way that she knew soothed and calmed him as her thumb caressed his. She kept her head down, watching the movements and patterns she created on his skin. 

“Ross,” she started, “I know that you feel this need to speak with Elizabeth and perhaps you should. But not tonight and not now.  Tomorrow is soon enough to ask her about her intentions to marry George. And  then I can go with you.”  

She lifted her head and dared him to challenge her idea. 

“Demelza, I don’t think that would do any of us any favors,” he stammered. Ross was not sure he wanted his wife, with her strong will in the same room as Elizabeth, who he knew was no match for Demelza.  Not that anything unpleasant would come from that but then, this feisty redhead was full of surprises and so anything was possible.

“Why not?  I think it would do Elizabeth some good to see what a real marriage is like. And to remind her that my husband is no longer available for her use.” 

Demelza finished that statement and rose. She walked out of the parlor to check the other rooms for any of their servants.  Ross saw her enter the kitchen and strained to hear what she was telling Prudie.  Shortly, Demelza returned and proceeded to close the parlor door behind her, her face bright with a wicked grin.  She then walked around the room, making sure the curtains were drawn but that the candles still had enough wick to last for her whim.   Ross watched as she circled around him, doing these mundane tasks yet turning her attention to him as she passed.

“Demelza, what are you doing?” he said, swallowing hard as his wife’s innocent movements were affecting his body and he tried for all his might to get his emotions under control. 

“I’m just straightening up the room, Ross. Is it disturbing you?” 

There was a coquettish air around her that he hadn’t seen before.  In the past the physical relationship between himself and Demelza was initiated in the traditional way; in the quiet of their room and usually by his making the first overture.  Ross got the impression that this was not going to be the case tonight.  It was clear by her earlier actions that she was in need of him and to be honest after the day they had, he needed her too; just as he had after Jim’s trial.

“The straightening up isn’t disturbing my love.  But you are,” he replied.  The room was getting warmer with the curtains now closed and the air insulated.  He stood up and shrugged out of his coat and waistcoat, laying them on the seat next to him, not caring that it slid to the floor.  Demelza saw what he was doing and started to move with a little more purpose.  

“I take it you’ve changed your mind about going to Trenwith tonight, Ross?”   Pleased that their conversation led to his change of plans, Demelza still needed to know that her husband would be staying at home tonight.

“Yes Demelza.  Once again, you are right.  I need to calm down before I face Elizabeth.  Or George for that matter.  And quite frankly, you are what I truly want tonight.” 

He walked over to where she stood and closing the last of the curtains, took hold of her waist.  He grazed his hands over the corset that she didn’t really require, stopping just short of her breasts. Demelza didn’t let her resolve weaken and focused on his face.  She saw warmth in his eyes that was not there less than an hour ago.  Raising her hand to his face she touched his cheek and placed the tiniest of kisses on his lips.  And then he did something that she wasn’t expecting; he hugged her. Demelza felt something more in this hug that just affection. She felt his desperation; as if by melding his body with hers he could absorb the strength of will that she seemed to have in abundance.  Grateful that her husband was using her in this way, she gave all she had back to him.  Soon their grip eased and they stared at each other trying to read the other’s thoughts.  It was clear what that was and Demelza was going to tap back into the one Poldark trait that would serve her purpose tonight. She was going to be impulsive, a word that has become the definition of their lives.

As she had the night he’d given her the silk stockings, Demelza grasped Ross by the collar and pulled him back towards the settle.  She pushed him to sit down and proceeded to straddle his lap.  Stunned by her movements Ross could do nothing but hold on to her waist and watch as she took control.  Needless to say their current position and his wife’s attitude affected his body almost immediately. Ross squirmed a bit to get comfortable and Demelza did nothing to assist. Instead she started to untie his stock and pulled it slowly from around his neck.  She bent down to kiss him then and he responded in kind.  His hands sliding up her back to clutch the back of her head and hold her to him.  Ross was so caught up in his wife’s kisses that he didn’t notice that she had opened his shirt until she moved back a little on his legs so that she could pay homage to his exposed chest.

“Demelza please,” Ross whispered into her hair.  “What are you doing?  I can’t…,” his voice was low and gravelly as he tried to hold on to her and himself. One quick move and whatever she had intended would be over before it started.

“I think I’m making love to my husband, Ross,” Demelza said sweetly.  Her smile was a mix of vixen and virgin. Ross stared at his wife unable to come to terms with the combination of woman that sat astride him now.  A fleeting thought crossed his mind when he wordlessly said to himself, “Elizabeth could never be this for me.”

“Shouldn’t we go upstairs?  What if Prudie or Jud….” he ground out. 

 He couldn’t complete the thought as her lips made contact with the coarse hair covering  his chest and so Ross let the notion go, closing his eyes and tilting his head back to lean against the chair.  His hands squeezed her ribs and Demelza gave a slight yelp as she felt his fingers dig into her clothed torso.  Sitting up to catch her breath, Demelza saw Ross’s head rise and his lids flicker open.  When she looked into them she saw his pupils dilated and imagined hers looked the same.  A smile came across Ross’s face as he reached up to kiss her.  She looked down at her fully clothed body and opened the worn jacket, still covered with mine dust from the afternoon.  Sliding it off she let it fall to floor, joining his coat.  Demelza then raised her arms so that her hands could weave through his hair, now curling more from the heat that filled the room. 

As she had just done him, Ross worked at removing the corset without any resistance from his wife.  Her breath was coming in little gasps and his hands were shaking while trying to loosen the laces.  The passion flowing between them was rising faster than the tides and what they were feeling seemed to resemble a storm that had been brewing at sea for too long that had now gained enough momentum to hit shore.

Once the corset was open, Demelza helped to shrug it off and as that also ended up at her feet Ross took the liberty of running his fingers around the neck of her shift slowly helping it off her shoulders.  He moved the linen out of the way, his lips connecting with her skin, now flushed and hot.  Ross teased, suckled and soothed the swell of each breast until they peaked to hardness and Demelza was left moaning into his hair.  She held Ross in place at her chest as her knees tightened at his hips.

Ross in the meantime wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, his breeches, now uncomfortably tight, grazed her bare center eliciting a moan from Demelza.  Holding her securely he stood and maneuvered them to the floor in front of the fire.  He placed Demelza gently on the floor and stood to look at his wife.  His wife.  The woman who loved him unequivocally and unconditionally for years, who, until her intervention, he was most likely going to betray.  Seeing her laying on the rug, her hair splayed around her like a red pillow he couldn’t believe he would put all this at risk for someone who truly had been nothing to him but a source of heartache.

Demelza stared up at Ross and saw that ideas were crossing his mind since his face could hide nothing from her. She could also guess what those ideas might be and made a move to sit up so that she could divert those thoughts.  Seeing her starting to rise, Ross dropped to his knees and taking her face in his hands, kissed her solidly.

“Where do you think you’re going, my love?  You’ve started this so let’s finish it,” Ross said, his voice insistent and commanding.

“Not if you’re thinking of someone else when you’re making love to me,” she said firmly.

“I am thinking of someone else, Demelza.  I’m thinking about that scrawny, urchin who I picked up off the street and I wonder when she was replaced by this flame haired woman, lying on my floor, who has for the second time in our lives, seduced me into submission.”

Smiling at Ross, Demelza tugged him towards her and said, “Then let me have you love.”

 In an instant tongues dueled and teeth gnashed as she held on to him and rolled back down to the floor, taking him with her.  It took only a few seconds for the passion between them to turn incendiary and just like that Ross lifted off her body undo his breeches and get them out of the way. Their bodies were in high gear and there was no time for gentle lovemaking or propriety. Demelza watched with hooded eyes, as her husband revealed himself, hard and ready as her breathing turning shallow. Instinctively she pulled her skirts up higher and let her legs fall open in anticipation of his body meeting hers.  Ross wasted no time and at first lay next to her, his muscular leg entwined with hers, as he felt the heat generating from her core.  Sliding his hand up her leg, he moved over her, nestling between her thighs and kissing her again, sucking her lips so that she raised her head to meet him. Holding her in place, Ross entered her in one swift move, filling her quickly and to the root.  Demelza gasped as she felt her husband fully inside her and without any hesitation began to move against him. Her body thrummed as it needed the release that had built up over the night.  She grabbed Ross’s face hold him to her as her leg wrapped around his hip, her pelvis rising up to meet his and her breasts brushing against the cloth of his shirt. In their haste to come together, Ross hadn’t bothered to remove that or even his boots. His one thought was to join his wife and cement their relationship. There was to be no gentleness in their taking of each other. This was raw need, pure and simple. Their desire for each other was unbridled, as it was that first night. 

Needing air, they pulled apart, inhaling heavily, their eyes never drifting from each other. Their moans turned to groans as the strain to reach their peak took its toll on them.  Ross’s hips whipped in steady rhythm against Demelza and without warning he felt his body heading towards release.  With a final kiss to her lips, Ross let go, his life’s blood emptying into his wife with a shuddering climax.  Demelza accepted him with everything she had and held him close as he returned to her.  Ross reluctantly left her body to move to her side and brushing the hair out of her eyes, saw that she was still on the brink.  His ending came so quickly she didn’t have time to catch up. Ross, knowing his wife’s needs so well, took his hand and found her core, still slick with both her body’s fluids and his, mingled as if they were one.  With slow motions he caressed her center feeling it swollen and hot and while keeping his gaze on her blue eyes, showing her that the love he had would never fade. 

Demelza held Ross’s arm as her body tensed, her release coming in waves starting with a crashing from inside and ebbing into ripples until she was spent. She relaxed her legs, letting them drop from their bent position as she took Ross’s hand from her womanhood and brought it to lie on her chest.  They lay like that as they came back to each other; Ross’s head and hand on Demelza chest, just over her heart and Demelza wrapping her arms around him. Secure in each other and their love.  As the fire crackled behind them they looked down at each other and couldn’t help but giggle at the site.  She with her skirts hiked up and he with his breeches around his calves.  Neither cared for once again they were one. 

“Don’t you think we should make our way to bed my love?” Ross asked.  He held his ear to her breast, listing to her heartbeat. 

“Hmm, I suppose so, Ross. I take it your trip to Trenwith can wait?” Her voice was light and teasing knowing full well what his answer was.

“Yes Demelza. Something more important has risen,” he said, a grin coming to his face, uncovering his dimple and scar.

“Cheeky, aren’t you, Cap’n Poldark?”

“Only with impudent servants and wives who are disobedient,” he retorted.

Demelza slapped his bicep and pushed him so that she could get up.  Standing she let her skirts fall and pulled her shift back up. Bending over to pick up her corset, she presented her bum to Ross and unable to resist, he pinched her. 

“Ross!” she squealed as she jumped and turned towards him.  “Perhaps you do still consider me a scullery maid to treat me so.”  She stood with her hands on her hips, watching his now relaxed body as he pulled his breeches up and loosely buttoned them.  Coming to stand in front of her he gathered her in his arms and kissed her, gently and with enormous tenderness.

“I told you early, you were not to use that term in this house or in my presence. Is that understood?”

Searching her husband’s face Demelza could see that he was speaking from his heart.

“Yes Ross,” she said seductively. 

“Finally, we agree on something.” 

With a sweeping motion, Ross lifted Demelza in his arms and began to walk out of the parlor, anxious to get her into their bed.

“Ross, what are you doing?” Demelza held on to him, winding her arms around his neck as he strode confidently across the room.

“I’m taking you to bed.  You didn’t think that his little tumble was all the service I required tonight did you?”

Smiling broadly at her husband, Demelza twisted her body to where she could reach his neck, placing a noisy kiss there and then raising her head to look at him.

“You really are treating me like a….” she caught herself before using that phrase again when she saw Ross give her a scolding look.

They had reached the stairs when she turned to him and said with a smirk, “Perhaps you think of me more like that Margaret wench.”

Ross stopped and dropped her to the floor, her feet hitting the wood with a thud, but he still held her close.  His face turned serious and Demelza felt something come from inside erasing the teasing that they had engaged in.

“Demelza, I don’t want anyone but you.  Not some scullery maid or Margaret.”  He paused and then said, “Or Elizabeth. This is what I want; you, me, Nampara, our son and our lives. Whatever that may bring.  But I want it with you. Always.”

Moved to silence Demelza could do nothing but rise up on her toes and give Ross the most loving kiss she had. Then taking his hand, she led him up the stairs, but she stopped on the landing.

“Thank you my love,” she said in a whisper, a tear falling from those blue-green eyes of hers.

Ross stepped up to join her and wipe away the droplets.

“For what?”

“For not being impulsive for once,” she replied.  Unable to resist, Ross bent down and placed another kiss on her still swollen lips.

“And thank you love,” he retorted.

“For what?” she asked, confused at his response.

“For tonight.  You have given me a whole new perspective on impulsiveness.”  

  

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you as always to all who read in the Poldark/Aidan Turner FB groups and on Tumblr. Your support means everything and keeps me hoping.


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